TY - JOUR
T1 - Sensor technology for smart homes
AU - Ding, Dan
AU - Cooper, Rory A.
AU - Pasquina, Paul F.
AU - Fici-Pasquina, Lavinia
N1 - Funding Information:
The work is supported in part by the Quality of Life Technology Engineering Research Center ( EEC-0540865 ) funded by the National Science Foundation. The work is also supported by VA Center of Excellence for Wheelchairs and Associated Rehabilitation Engineering B3142C . The contents of this paper do not represent the views of the Department of Veterans Affairs or the United States Government.
PY - 2011/6
Y1 - 2011/6
N2 - A smart home is a residence equipped with technology that observes the residents and provides proactive services. Most recently, it has been introduced as a potential solution to support independent living of people with disabilities and older adults, as well as to relieve the workload from family caregivers and health providers. One of the key supporting features of a smart home is its ability to monitor the activities of daily living and safety of residents, and in detecting changes in their daily routines. With the availability of inexpensive low-power sensors, radios, and embedded processors, current smart homes are typically equipped with a large amount of networked sensors which collaboratively process and make deductions from the acquired data on the state of the home as well as the activities and behaviors of its residents. This article reviews sensor technology used in smart homes with a focus on direct environment sensing and infrastructure mediated sensing. The article also points out the strengths and limitations of different sensor technologies, as well as discusses challenges and opportunities from clinical, technical, and ethical perspectives. It is recommended that sensor technologies for smart homes address actual needs of all stake holders including end users, their family members and caregivers, and their doctors and therapists. More evidence on the appropriateness, usefulness, and cost benefits analysis of sensor technologies for smart homes is necessary before these sensors should be widely deployed into real-world residential settings and successfully integrated into everyday life and health care services.
AB - A smart home is a residence equipped with technology that observes the residents and provides proactive services. Most recently, it has been introduced as a potential solution to support independent living of people with disabilities and older adults, as well as to relieve the workload from family caregivers and health providers. One of the key supporting features of a smart home is its ability to monitor the activities of daily living and safety of residents, and in detecting changes in their daily routines. With the availability of inexpensive low-power sensors, radios, and embedded processors, current smart homes are typically equipped with a large amount of networked sensors which collaboratively process and make deductions from the acquired data on the state of the home as well as the activities and behaviors of its residents. This article reviews sensor technology used in smart homes with a focus on direct environment sensing and infrastructure mediated sensing. The article also points out the strengths and limitations of different sensor technologies, as well as discusses challenges and opportunities from clinical, technical, and ethical perspectives. It is recommended that sensor technologies for smart homes address actual needs of all stake holders including end users, their family members and caregivers, and their doctors and therapists. More evidence on the appropriateness, usefulness, and cost benefits analysis of sensor technologies for smart homes is necessary before these sensors should be widely deployed into real-world residential settings and successfully integrated into everyday life and health care services.
KW - Aging
KW - Disability
KW - Independent living
KW - Sensor technology
KW - Smart homes
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=79955963287&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.maturitas.2011.03.016
DO - 10.1016/j.maturitas.2011.03.016
M3 - Review article
C2 - 21531517
AN - SCOPUS:79955963287
SN - 0378-5122
VL - 69
SP - 131
EP - 136
JO - Maturitas
JF - Maturitas
IS - 2
ER -